Vehicle

2006 BMW 5 Series Wagon 530xi 4dr Wagon AWD (3.0L 6cyl 6M)

Review

In the market for a car in 2009 and for the price of a boring Accord V6 ($39k in Canada) I got a 530xiT CPO with 60,000 km on it.
Had to deal with electronic glitches here and there (tire sensors, oil level sensors, etc) and the transmission is somehow brutal when accelerating from a red light.
Also experience problems at idle, irregular rpms..but all covered by CPO warranty.
Driving is a blast: I put 40,000 km on it annually and wouldn't want to drive any other car @$700/month. If I could afford a '12 MB E350 4matic station, I could consider a trade but even if I need to rebuild the tranny, it will still be cheaper and more fun to drive my 530xit into the ground.
170k km heading for 400k

Best Features

smooth engine, precise handling, Logic 7 sound, looks great for a station

Worst Features

- Electronics, even the service manager told me "BMW sucks at electronics, people buy it for the drive not the reliability".
Pathetic but true.
- Transmission a bit rough some times
- Heard that cup holders are a bit tiny for the soon-to-be-obese big gulp amateur...really????

Vehicle

2006 BMW 5 Series Wagon 530xi 4dr Wagon AWD (3.0L 6cyl 6M)

Review

We recently purchased a pre-owned 530xi Sports Wagon with 70k miles on it, oh what can we say, we love it! We just took it for a long trip(800 miles round trip) to visit our family and the road trip was a joy. It is very fun to drive & seats are on the firm side and supportive and it didn't give me lower back pain for driving for such long hours! The interior is very quiet(not as quiet as Lexus cars) and it rides very smoothly. We folded the back seats down and it created a great bed for our dogs and spacious cargo area for our luggage. My husband hated the idea of owning a station wagon but he likes this one, it is beautiful, probably one of the best looking station wagons available today.

Best Features

Spacious cargo area, Adaptive xenon head lights, Good pickup at low RPM. Panorama glass roof. xDrive(we had to drive through a snow storm but no problem!), Great gas mileage(averaged 28.3mpg city/hwy combined for our trip!),
Rarity of BMW 5 series wagon!(We see many X5s, and Audi Avant wagons but BMW wagons are rare here.)
Beautiful exterior design.

Worst Features

Audio system is just mediocre not the best among luxury brands such as Mercedes, Lexus, etc... iDrive is cool but we would like climate controls, audio controls out on the dash for easier access. We also would like an improved navigation system.

Vehicle

2006 BMW 5 Series Wagon 530xi 4dr Wagon AWD (3.0L 6cyl 6M)

Review

I had rented a 2005 5 series wagon while in Europe and put nearly 3,000 km - wanted one ever since! This car has a gas engine, AWD and a few more options but the same body and feel. It's clear to me that BMW builds a better vehicle than most. I have owned 37 cars in my life so far and this is indeed at the top (second only to my Boxster) when it comes to fit, finish and feel. The handling is superb, the seating position very comfortable, and power is adequate. The 255 hp is enough but, as is the case with every car, it slowly becomes insufficient as one gets to know the car well. The auto trans is very nice and the Sport mode is great. Good on gas if you don't get too aggressive ;-).

Best Features

Handling (for a big car it is fantastic), Swivel xenon headlights, Sport mode, quiet, Panoramic sunroof, Harman Kardon Logic7 sound (wow!), heated front and rear seats. And I think the iDrive is just fine. Clearly people who complain about it must be used to very basic cars indeed.

Worst Features

Power lift gate close command on remote or dash (one has to push a button on the gate itself). A little more tilt on the power seat.

Vehicle

2006 BMW 5 Series Wagon 530xi 4dr Wagon AWD (3.0L 6cyl 6M)

Review

I've owned the BMW 530XiT for 4 yrs. and I can't think of another car that I would have preferred to own/drive regularly. By now you know that it is a great car. It exemplifies quality, athleticism, utility, and looks (IMHO). No need to rehash those traits. So, I'll move onto what I think could be improved. Power: It does great at highway speed or once you get the RPMs up. But, that performance is unmatched at the low end. Idrive: My system gets stuck at times and I have to re-select functions. No big deal, but I expect better. Panoramic Sliding Roof: Great feature, but wind noise over 30mph is out of control. Worse, BMW does not make a wind deflector that fits the model.

Best Features

Worst Features

idrive, no standard Ipod interface. Lack of a wind deflector really irks me. I love the the fact that the panoramic roof opens. However, due to the amount of wind it lets in, BMW really should make a wind deflector that fits. Either improve the internal wind baffle, or make an external deflector.

Vehicle

2006 BMW 5 Series Wagon 530xi 4dr Wagon AWD (3.0L 6cyl 6M)

Review

I bought my 2006 530XI AWD Wagon used in August 2009. I love it, although I have had one issue regarding one of the ignition coils which broke on Christmas Eve morning. Luckily, my Greenwich CT dealer has been top-notch so far and took it in immediately and had me back on the road and home in time for the holiday. I just would like to see the Manufacturer use better coils in this car as I've heard this is a common issue for this car. Otherwise, this car is AWESOME! Acceleration is great once you are up to speed-but I find a little sluggish from 0-60 mph.

Best Features

Great styling, front to back sunroof, heated steering wheel is fantastic in winter, as are the heated seats. Great visibility with headlights that bend corners, very good braking, handling and superb cornering. So far so happy.

Worst Features

More reliable ignition coils (replaced twice already on my 2006). Improvement needed on run-flat tire sensor monitor which gives false reads in hot, humid or very cold weather. Would like to see this car come with a 3rd row of seats like the Volvo.